Quick hits on what is and isn’t possible in the Warriors’ pursuit of Dwight Howard

So now it’s serious. Or on the path to seriousness. Or verging towards the intangible promise of possible semi-seriousness.

With Dwight Howard decisions, as always, you just never know until he makes a call–and even then it’s always subject to review and recanting–but ESPN’s Marc Stein reported earlier today that the Warriors made a strong impression with the Dwight Camp in their presentation a few days ago.

And suddenly we’ve gone through the looking glass: Yes, it’s possible the GSWs are players in this. I’d still say it’s a long shot, but they are one step further than most of us would have ever guessed.

All this has triggered a ton of discussion–it’s Dwight, there’ll be discussion about his next team every day of his life until he’s 145, I’m fairly certain–and now it’s mostly focused on all potential Warriors’ salary-cap contortions to try to land Dwight, if the Warriors really truly are where he might want to land.

Which prompts me believe it might be time for a quick Dwight Acquisition Frequently Asked Questions and My Realistic Answers, which I’m sure will enrage a portion of GSW fans, and that’s how we roll here..

(Note: Most of this is culled from my Twitter exchanges or Twitter thoughts on the Dwight Situation earlier today, some of it is summarizing a lot of questions that were centered on similar thought lines.)

-DAQ: Do you really think Dwight is interested in coming to the Warriors? Why?
-ANSWER: I think the Warriors are a very optimistic bunch, but they wouldn’t have jumped so deep into this without some inclination that Dwight was going to take them seriously… they must’ve gotten that signal, and they charged ahead.

And voila, he apparently is taking them seriously.

All sides know how tricky this would be, however–the Warriors are over the cap and therefore would have to work out a sign-and-trade with the Lakers to do this, and the Lakers might not be too interested in that.

(There are a few other funkier ways the Warriors could get Dwight, and I’ll get to them later in this item.)
I think the Warriors are a quite presentable bunch–Joe Lacob, Bob Myers, Mark Jackson, Stephen Curry, Jerry West–and they may have reached Dwight on a lot of different levels, from a great potential two-man core with Curry, to the locker room’s spiritual base, to the Warriors’ big hopes for a splashy SF arena, to the Silicon Valley opportunities.

The Warriors have a pitch. I would bet they made a good one.

All things being equal, the Warriors would be a great option for Dwight… but of course all things are not equal. They’re over the cap and Houston, Dallas and Atlanta are not, and it doesn’t matter if the Lakers are.

For Dwight, I think the Warriors are a fun discussion.

I think that’s what Dwight is reacting to (reportedly), not necessarily the likelihood that this could be done. But once you get him thinking, you never know…

-DAQ: Why can’t Dwight just say he wants to go to the Warriors and demand that the Lakers to trade him here?
-ANSWER: Even if Dwight wants to end up with the Warriors, he still needs the Lakers’ cooperation to get here.

They have to believe their best option is to trade him to the Warriors, so he has to threaten the Lakers that he’ll sign with Houston or Dallas outright (which means the Lakers would get nothing in return).

Otherwise there’s no motivation for the Lakers to help out the Warriors… and see Dwight four times a season.

If the Lakers believe they’ve got any shot at keeping him, Dwight can think about the GSWs all he wants… but the Lakers probably won’t budge. Because they don’t have to.

The only thing that might get them moving to talk trade with the Warriors is if they thought Dwight was about to sign with Houston. And that’s why it actually probably would’ve been better for the Warriors’ hopes if the first word out of this was that Dwight liked Houston best.

THAT would’ve sent a jolt into Lakerland, and maybe the phone gets picked up at Laker HQ when Myers calls.

As of now, what’s the Lakers’ motivation? If they start talking sign-and-trade with the Warriors, they can’t really go back. The Warriors need something to push the Lakers over the threshold, and that hasn’t happened yet.

-DAQ: So what would the motivation be for the Dwight Camp to let it be known right away that he liked the Warriors’ pitch?

-ANSWER: I was trying to figure that one out all day. Other it possibly being just the plain truth–maybe Dwight just liked what he heard–I think there’s one other live possibility:
Maybe Dwight and his agents are hinting to the Lakers that he still is considering staying with the Lakers–but only with major changes… for instance, firing Mike D’Antoni and hiring a more Dwight-friendly coach.

-DAQ: Could the Warriors and Lakers agree to a deal if it comes to that?

-ANSWER: That’s up to negotiations. We know the Warriors’ offer would start with Andrew Bogut–they couldn’t have Bogut and Howard’s salaries both on the roster, at the same position.

But I think–and it has been reported–that the Lakers aren’t too interested in taking back Bogut’s salary, even if it expires next summer.

If the Lakers are going to take back some money, instead of just letting Dwight go and letting his money disappear, they’re going to want to get young assets back.

The Warriors would have to sweeten up the offer, and that means either Harrison Barnes or Klay Thompson or both.

I think the Warriors pretty much went into this knowing they’d put one of those two guys in any offer for Dwight. (I wouldn’t do it, of course it’s not my call, thank goodness.)

The Warriors could also put in either Andris Biedrins or Richard Jefferson’s expiring deal, and maybe take back Steve Nash’s remaining two years, which would help the LALs books even more, but I’m not sure that’s a great draw for the Lakers.

It’s a tough negotiation. And I’m not sure the Lakers could be drawn into it unless they’ve given up hope of getting Dwight back, and that won’t happen until and unless he tells them he’s never re-signing.

Dwight isn’t quite that declarative, as we’ve found out.

-DAQ: Can the Warriors get Dwight without going through the Lakers–say, by having Atlanta sign Dwight with their space and then trading him to the Warriors?

-ANSWER No, unless the Warriors suddenly can create $20M in cap space, they would have to go through the Lakers in any scenario where Dwight gets his max contract, and he will want his max contract.

Only the Lakers can sign-and-trade Dwight. He cannot sign with another team to set up a S/T deal elsewhere.

-DAQ: Wait, what did you say about suddenly creating cap space?
-ANSWER: I don’t want to open up Pandora’s Box here, but yes, it’s theoretically possible for the Warriors to bundle up a ton of contracts and dump them to a team with massive cap room to create the $20.5M slot that it would take to sign Howard outright to a max contract.

Given their current $69M payroll ($11M over the salary-cap line), that, however, would take the GSWs off-loading more than $31M in contracts and getting no contracts in return.

Basically, that’s Bogut and David Lee and Klay for nothing, just to create the space.

Or Bogut and Jefferson and Brandon Rush. Again, for nothing.

And… why would, say, Atlanta, want to absorb all that money after hording the space for a few years? The Hawks wouldn’t have a need for expiring deals to create space next summer because THEY ALREADY HAVE THE SPACE.

Why would they take another team’s discards, have to pay them, mess up their options for this summer, when they can do nothing and still have all that space in a year?

The Warriors would almost certainly have to put Barnes and/or Klay into that deal to lure any interest, and even then I don’t think it would be enough. Probably would cost a 1st-rounder or two as a sweetener.

This would be a side-door to their theoretical Bogut/Barnes-or-Klay package to the Lakers… only I think this one actually might cost more than that.

Which makes this scenario very, very unlikely.

-DAQ: Can the Warriors sign Dwight to their available mid-level exception for one year at $5M with the promise that he’ll get his long-term money when they have cap room next summer?

-ANSWER: In two letters, N-O.

First off, it’s against NBA rules. Very, very, very, very much against NBA rules. Teams have been crushed by the league office for promises like that (see: Joe Smith, Minnesota Timberwolves losing three 1st-round picks).

David Stern’s desk rumbles if anybody even THINKS about doing this, believe me.
Also, even if the Warriors pulled off this illegal thing, Howard would lose out on a lot of dollars from the 4 years, $88M max he could get this summer for all outside bidding teams. (He could get 5 years and $117M from the Lakers).

If he was lured into this secret deal, Howard would lose $15M from this season’s salary, just to start.

Then he would have to start his next salary at the regular max–about $19.1M–instead of the about $20.5M he could start with if he signs outright this summer because you are always allowed to get a 5% raise even if your last salary was over the usual max.

His current grandfathered-in $19.5M salary from last season is the only thing that allows him to start his next one at $20.5M. You bring him down to $5M, and he’d have to go back to normal rules.

All raises would be based on the $19.1M normal-max salary, not the $20.5M, and that’s not just a few pennies.

Factor in annual raises, and over the course two 5-year “max” offers, that’s about an $8M difference.

So to try to pull that off, the Warriors would not only be egregiously and obviously breaking one of the most closely viewed NBA salary-cap rules, they’d be asking Howard to take $23M less than he otherwise could get.

Dwight is going to get every dollar he can, and why wouldn’t he? Even suggesting he should take a $23M pay cut off the top… even if he loves the Warriors and that’s the best way for him to get here… just isn’t how this is going to go.

–OK, that’s what I’ve got. I’m sure this will be scrutinized and argued. So it goes. It’s Dwight.

I think they would have made an even better impression if they brought along a few of the Warrior Girls.

barry

Theoretically, the W’s could find a team with massive cap room this year, but not ready to contend yet who would take the expirings of Biedrins and/or Jefferson and/or Bogut for this year along with some 1st round draft picks and a young asset like Klay. That team would have to not like this year’s FA crop, or like next year’s crop better (and it very well might be better). That would clear up some cap room.

Mike

Tim–You say it would be better if Howard ranked the destinations #1 Houston, #2 Warriors, but it works just as well if it’s #1 Warriors #2 Houston, since he just tells the Lakers, “Deal with the Ws, or I will sign with Houston, and you get nothing.” Hard to believe the Lakers would rather get nothing. With Kobe’s contract, they would still be over the cap, even without Dwight. If Houston is preferred over the Ws, they could just throw some assets at the Lakers, so they would get Howard instead of the Warriors.

EvanZ

What exactly were people supposed to be so enraged about, Tim?

The Wisdom Cow

I don’t see why Bogut + expiring contracts for Howard + Nash would not be enough to get things done. Lakers get free of Nash and get Bogut for this season, which if done properly, would make for better TEAM success than they got with Howard not meshing with Kobe and Pau.

Granted, the Houston option must remain open. Yet, if Howard says he wants GSW, but with their young core intact, or else he leans toward Houston, what is LA’s best option? And consider, coming to GSW minus Thompson or Barnes would definitely make Houston a much more realistic option.

Personally, I won’t budge on any of the youth. Without them remaining, it’s just not worth it.

PhillyJ

Great analysis Tim as always. Puts things into a better perspective. We have to be excited that at least Lacob and Co. are movers and shakers and not just sitting around doing nothing like the old regime.

Stay the course

I’m going to make a suggestion that may cause eye rolling and thinking I’m just some delusional unrealistic fanboy for suggesting it. But hear me out because there truly is a pretty great chance that it can happen.

The Warriors need to snap out of this 2013 off-season daydream they have about grabbing a big fish free agent like Howard or Igudala or Smith, when they are already way over the salary cap. They need to stay the course with their current team adding only one year commitments to fill out the open back-up positions and play out the season. They already proved they are dam good, even with a bunch of rookies and injured players… But most importantly is if they take this route, i don’t see why they would not be Front runners to sign Lebron one year from today.

If they do no changes to the roster, in one year they have 6 players under contract for a total of $35M. Lee, Curry, KT, HB, Green & Ezeli… That is 4 possible all stars and 2 good rotation players, plus over $25M under the cap. Would there be any other team more attractive to Lebron than the Warriors?

The realistic competitors would be:
-Staying in Miami with a rapidly aging supporting cast and no financial flexibility to improve
-The Lakers, starting completely from scratch because they have No one signed past 2013 aside from Nash. They are the Lakers, so they can build a good team quickly, but getting into the later half of his prime, does Lebron really want to start another team from scratch?
– Going back to Cleveland. He has said that he might want to go back to his home town. But will he really forget all about the hate and vitriol the owner and city gave him when he left the first time? I don’t know

That’s about it for his realistic options. The Warriors are a big market with the best, most passionate, loudest fans in the game. A great ownership group with Jerry West’s backing, a young up and coming superstar in Steph Curry, and Fantastic young supporting cast ready made to go for the title even without Lebron.

Is there anything really off about my line of thinking?

gabe

nope, nothing wrong with thinking the warriors have 4 possible all-stars on their roster. i mean, they’ve had 1 in the past twenty years, but i could see them having 4 next season

Hey, this sounds like the kinda guy we really need. And maybe we can create a long-term cap he’ll at the same time!

Lacob must surely love the ink and pub possibilities more than team play and winning. All that bling. . . .

Ben Brung

The best case scenario is that the Warrior’s appear to be Dwight’s preferred destination, management remains level-headed and works quietly to avoid locker room fallout, then no deal is made. That way the W’s increase their cred as a desirable free agent destination when they have the money next year and without having to gut the current core. Plus, we don’t end up with Dwight who is good but still way overrated.

The Wisdom Cow

Ben, but he’d also be very tradable . . .

Ben Brung

@ The Wisdom Cow
That seems like a factor to mitigate the risk rather than to pursue the deal. Orlando was a 20-win team after trading him. If the Lakers become a better team by trading him, it will come at the W’s expense. I don’t like the current risk/reward on signing him to trade him.

Italy415

Great Job Tim!!!!! Keep it Going..,

PhillyJ

Did you guys read Marcus’s tweet with the link? Warriors told DH he would be playing with Curry, Barnes, AND Thompson.
Awesome that Mark Jackson was impressive in the meeting–he is already worth his value as a motivator, now as a recruiter.

The Wisdom Cow

Ben, no no. A sign and trade is not a trade. You don’t get the same value. LA won’t get Bogut + Barnes or Thompson. That’s near a straight trade price if he wanted out. He is out. LA can be a facilitator and make a commission, being better off than if he bolts, nothing more.

Ben Brung

@TWC
I know that’s how you see it and you imagine the commission being Bogut & expirings. I just don’t see that happening but would be OK with the deal if it did. Regardless of how you want to look at it, the previous trade left Orlando a 20-win team so there’s no denying that there isn’t a significant level of risk in creating a situation where the best outcome might end up being another Howard trade.

As desirable as he might be to GM’s, his associated baggage continues to pile up. Can you imagine a scenario where Howard is traded by the Warriors in a year or two without more ugly baggage? Granted you are more optimistic than I am but still . . .

Original Ken

If there is one thing we have seen from the LAST SEASON, it was that Myers and West understand all the subtleties that everyone else is discussing.

They will know when they are giving up too much, and back off. They won’t offer too much.

Note that these are the same people who just did THREE DEALS IN A FEW MINUTES to save $1 million and draft the “Euro Derrick Rose”. Do not worry that they will get rolled by the Lakers, okay ? Just sit back and enjoy…

petaluman

You missed something, Tim. If DH picks the Warriors, the below-cap teams then become potential facilitators in a 3-team deal. They don’t have to salary-match, and so can absorb $, reducing the Laker’s cap figure immediately.

There is a team minimum payroll, perhaps 52M for 13/14. Teams can no longer keep unused cap space indefinitely. The next best thing is to acquire draft picks and young talent for absorbing expiring contracts. The expirings go off the books in a year, and they’re back below cap.

If DH picks us, there will be a deal to be made. The question is, will the price be too high?

jason bourne

I was looking at the ORL s&t for Dwight today. Pretty crazy four-team deal. I think other teams will get in on this if Dwight says he wants to go to GSW.

Also, looked at the ORL team when they went to the Finals in 2008-09, but lost to the Lakers. Short of a stretch 4, the Ws match up well with that team with Howard. Gotta keep the young core together. I’d offer draft picks and expirings.

If Dwight chooses to stay or go elsewhere, the Ws future looks pretty good with their players, especially if Bogut is healthy.

Mark

Take the Celtics-Nets deal as the example. The Celtics gave up Pierce and KG, plus absorb 3 years of Wallace at $10M and $16M of expirings in exchange for 4 #1’s (counting Brooks as the low #1 he’s worth, and keep in mind that those will be late-round picks as long as the Nets are good).

I’m guessing the Hawks are the dumping ground in this deal: they have massive cap space, and are set up for a season of tanking, which makes otherwise-worthless expiring contracts somewhat valuable (since there are minimum salary requirements). The W’s have 3 #1’s, plus Ezeli and Green; in total, that’s MORE than the Nets gave up in their deal. It’s possible the W’s can get something for Bogut, and there may even be a team that would take David Lee’s contract with a small inducement (Bobcats?).

Add that all up, and there are many ways to clear the necessary space.

Something like Lee+#1 to Bobcats, #1+whatever Bogut fetches from e.g. Portland+Jefferson to Hawks would get the deal done with room to spare. Lots of other combos can add up to $31M, especially if Bogut’s $14M expiring is worth something. If the Hawks are intent on tanking, they might even take Beans and Jefferson for 2 GSW #1’s and whatever Bogut brings back. I’m using the Celtics-Nets deal as a rough guide here. TK, you should be figuring out Bogut’s value to teams like Dallas, Portland, Charlotte or even Miami.

Finally, as long as the W’s can credibly threaten to take the “unload all our contracts on Atlanta” route, the Lakers will have to negotiate. I don’t actually see a lot on the W’s roster that would appeal to the Lakers, but it’s not clear what the Lakers’ objectives will be if they lose Howard.

Niner

Remember a great nfl player who everyone thought was going to the best team in the league, the 49ers. With him , they win at least one more Super Bowl. But as men who martpch to a different drummer ( as some Christian athletes describe themselves) they use their own standard. Reggie white went to the miserable Green Bay packers and made them contenders . Dwight could shock everyone and choose the warriors!

17

Joe! Don’t Do It!!!!!!!

Mitch

Nice work JSL.

Big Suede

I think bogut alone would be enough for DW. You think the lakers can go back to kobe and say they would rather bank the money than receive bogut? It isnt like the lakers can get a free agent with the cash- they are way too far over the cap.

It would be a choice for the lakers to take nothing or bogut.

Bravo

Ben has a good point and one I’ve been thinking of as well. The pursuit of Howard will increase the W’s creed with players and agents as a desirable free agent destination in 2014. The Howard pursuit could be nothing more than a set up orchestrated beautifully by Meyers and West.

sffranscian

@ Big Suede

Couldn’t agree more. If Howard goes to either Houston or Dallas, the Lakers only real options are Bynum or Greg Oden, and I can’t see Kobe rushing back through a brutal rehab for those stiffs.

The Warriors are the Lakers best option if Howard really is bolting; they are the only team that will offer the Lakers any help, so why in god’s name would you throw in Thompson or Barnes?

Bogut, Gasol, Bryant and Nash can still compete (I actually like Bogut more than Howard, he’s a tougher, better teammate, but his injuries are a concern).

Offer them nothing else. If Howard walks to Houston, you hope Bogut stays healthy, and if he does, you pound the Lakers for the next few years. The Ws may not win a title, but I doubt Howard ever wins anything anyhow. The heart of a champion? Please….

itsinthegame

so if the pistons are trying for gay with 2 expirings with the numbers matching, why cant the w’s do it?? bogut, jefferson(2 expirings, and they will then control bogut) and a #1 for howard and thats it. the w’s are in the better position, the lakers have no leverage. i read a piece that in the meeting with howard, the w’s said how would it be to play with curry, klay, AND barnes…if true that tells me the w’s do indeed know they have the leverage and will not give up the promising nucleus. a very long shot indeed, but how cool would it be for the warriors to pull it off..

Harp’s Dubs

Let’s stay in dream world and say we get Howard for Bogut and Jefferson (though we’d have to get something more back from the Lakers as Bogut and Jefferson together make $25 mil, which is $5 mil more than Dwight will get in a s/t). If Howard really wants to be here in the Bay, my guess is that he tells Myers and company that he’ll come here only if we are able to trade Lee to the Hawks for a signed and traded Josh Smith (his boyhood pal from ATL). If I’m the Dubs and the Hawks are amenable (which they should be, considering possibly losing Smith for nothing and the fact that Lee and Horford would be a nice upfront pairing), then I pull that trigger.
Our starting five would be ridiculously talented, with three tremendous athletes on the frontline (Howard, Smith and Barnes) and a backcourt that can shoot the lights out. Now, we’d just need to re-sign Jack and use our MLE for JJ Hickson and we’d have (on paper) the best team in the league. Now, let’s check on that whole chemistry thing midway through the season…

Not sure about the Josh (“I’m 25 feet out and I’m OPEN!”) Smith scenario…he’s a stupid player, however talented, and neither he nor Howard can hit a free throw to save their souls, so what do you do in crunch time?

The Lakers have real problem if Howard in fact does want to leave: there is no way Kobe comes back to rebuild, so unless they want to relive the Andrew Bynum years, they need to tear it all down and rebuild. Will LA fans go for that–and at those prices?

Doubtful.

The Warriors–again, assuming Howard does want to leave–have leverage, and Bogut is the best chance for Kobe to compete next year.

Do NOT give away Thompson or Barnes.

Ron

Forget Dwight. Keep the expiring contracts. Next season may be a step back but once Badriens and Jefferson money is free’d up we can build around Curry, Thompson and Barnes.

gabe

Warriors are starting to clear cap space. This might actually happen. I wonder of all the haters will eat their words once the Dubs become a contender, or if the will complain about losing in the Conference Finals

Why do so many fools — none of whom has either provided ANY analysis of Howard’s declining game or addressed his many weaknesses, noted @10, above — even want this me-first Bozo? Why do they see it as an instant ticket to Heaven?

Cuz it sure ain’t bball acumen. And it sure isn’t out of love for the “team game” aspect the Dubs were finally beginning to master.

Must be the huge potential — even nine years into the league now. Or, simply the “bling” factor — such a nice, shiny piece.

Let me know if this loser ever wins anything in his life. Anywhere. Cuz he sure hasn’t yet — except for winning so many millions from star-struck owners and GMs.

i dont think the lakers will take bogut and expiring contracts if they let d12 walk they have everybody coming of the books next year except nash. expiring contract wont do anyting If they take bogut they have to pay him way more than he is worth because theyre over the cap theyre proably gunna insist on klay and Barnes and we will be essentially gutting our team for a d12 and curry duo

The Turlock Tornado

Best scenario. Dubs contact teams with cap space in rebuild mode now and offer an expiring and a future 1st rounder. Doing that for Biedrins and RJ clears 20 million. They should also be able to move Bogut for a rotation player if Dwight signs. Then they’d have enough to sign Dwight, and keep Curry/Klay/HB intact. Gotta like those 4 playing with Lee, Rush (good wing defender), Ezeli, and Green. That’s a solid 8 man rotation. I’d rather see them package the expirings with a future 1st round pick now and clear the cap space now. if they land Dwight with the cap space, great. They get their all NBA guy to build with Curry for the next 4 years. If they don’t get Dwight, they can use some of the space on Iggy and keep Bogut and the team intact. Those 1st round picks should be late 1st round picks if the dubs keep playing well.

gabe

what have the warriors ever won? howard has won more playoff games in his 9 nba years than the warriors have won in the past four decades

The Wisdom Cow

jsl, check out the truehoop analysis up on ESPN. You take 1/2 Howard and plug it into the center spot and the numbers for both the offense and defense are improved dramatically. Think of it this way, Howard may not be Bogut in the locker room (but I have a good feeling about how Jackson can help him mature – the religious angle is HUGE with the right people), but even if Howard were to continue to decline, he would be a defensive FORCE that can play 3x the minutes of Bogut. Factor in the offense and how it would create better spacing, and things get really scary. Imagine Curry and Thompson with LESS contested shots.

Things get really scary, IMO, with the Smith for Lee added to the mix. Yes, the outside shots by Smith are an issue, but the defensive improvement would be mind boggling.

I’m realizing just how possible this is, and it’s a gamble definitely worth taking.

Impurviousshort

In the end, I think if Dwight wants the Dubs, they’ll find ways to make it work and keep their core relatively intact. If they can pull that off I think I’ll spontaneously combust. The suspense is killing me and my wife wants me off twitter. GoWarriors!

Air Mamba

D12 stay’s with Lakers. The lakers will NEVER help the GSW so if D12 wants to go Mitch would get the trade he wants or tell GSW and D12 to take a hike! 16>3

D12 is in Aspen at Jack Nicholson’s house Right now! Clue #1

southernfriedwarrior

Wisdom Cow you nailed it with the religious angle. I think GS is his first choice because he wants to play for Jackson. Being a Bay Area transplant living in Atlanta I can say that could well trumph everything else Howard might be considering. He’s a devout Christian and a product of the Bible Belt. There’s no doubt in my mind that Jesus has taken the wheel and is steering Howard to Warrior’s land.

Niner

So ends the trite debate as to the formula for professional sports success. Coaching? Talented players/ chemistry, ownership? In the kezar days my father said the 49 ers could not get over the hump, when mr D bought the 49 ers for Eddie , he told me the 49ers would succeed, mr D would never let Eddie fail. After 3 miserable hc Eddie found bill Walsh, and the rest is history. We saw ownership build and destroy teams, john yorks 49ers, Washington, Dallas, New England, now with the warriors. Every year we cried about the assailed moves by ownership. Now we have new ownership and we are on the verge of being an elite team. Adding Howard and iggy makes us 40% better and we did pretty well last year. If we get one or and or lse barnes we still are in the playoffs contending.
Lacob and west are showing how to turn around a franchise !

sffranscian

@Air Mamba

Do you hear the desperation in your voice?

Get ready for a fall because telling the man he “doesn’t know how to win” was among the dumbest moves of Kobe’s career. Good luck with the “insult pitch” in your next big business meeting.

Whether Howard comes here or heads south, south is the direction for the Lakers next season and the foreseeable future.

Priceless. But will Jack still show up for The Fall?

marko

ESPN & Deseret News think Bogut+ may end up with Jazz if DH/GSW looks to be a thing.

Reggie White! I forgot about that one! I was so pissed he went there. Especially after claiming he wanted to go to a diverse area! We all know Wisconsin is so much more diverse than San Francisco!

That was a great point Niner! I like the analogy.

jsl

Gabe: Let’s talk apples and Apple’s, OK?

How many playoff games did Howard’s team win THIS year? And how many did the Dubs win THIS year. I’ve got zero and six; how about you?

And, I still await some star-struck Howard fan to tell me one time Dwight’s ever come up big in a big game. You’ve got nine years to choose from. And it ends with a double technical in his last playoff appearance.

It’s not easy to love choke and quit that much. But many here still try.